So Young, So Innocent
by FantasyTree
Summary: Arthur assign's the Knight's of the Round Table their toughest challenge yet. Turn a helpless new recruit, into a capable young knight. Should they really be left unsupervised?


**This is my first foray into the Merlin Fandom, so bear with me a little. If you could spare a minute or two just to give me some feedback, this is the first time I've really put my writing out there and it would mean a lot. I won't keep you any longer, go, read!**

**Disclamier - Nope, not now, not ever.**

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><p>The Knights of the Round Table were bored. With any other set of knights this might not have been a problem. Arthur would order them out onto patrol, or assign them some extra practice drills. Unfortunately, they'd already been on three patrols that week, and after the last one had ended in a very irate farmer and a very ashamed Gwaine, Arthur loathed to send them on anymore. Extra training was a possibility, except the practice field was being used for the harvest market for the rest of the week and Arthur was scared of what sorts of things the knights could get up to out of his sight.<p>

So it came to be that after complaining loudly in his chambers about his rather impossible situation, and one of Merlin's more brilliant moments, Arthur had five knights stood before him, all with equal looks of shock and disbelief on their faces. Gwaine, of course, was the first to regain his voice.  
>"You want us to what?" Arthur sighed.<p>

"I want you to train Sir Cormac to be ready for field combat, and help him adjust to life in Camelot." On the whole, Arthur thought, it was quite a brilliant idea. Sir Cormac was a new knight, inducted only a few short weeks ago. Although he was a noble, his families' lands were small, and life among the hustle and bustle of Camelot had been a big adjustment. He also had a tendency to jump at loud noises, and trip over anything in sight, and drop his sword for no apparent reason. But he had passed the tests, and Arthur could find no reason to turn him away, and now it seemed, he may kill two birds with one stone.

"I'm sorry Sire, but you think we can do this because?" Ah Leon, he used to be so polite, the others were obviously a bad influence on him.

"I have delegations coming in from neighbouring kingdoms all week and I don't have time to sit and beat the bad habits out of him. But judging from the tray of chickens that went missing from the kitchen's yesterday." They all looked down at their feet innocently. "You lot have nothing but time." Arthur swept off, leaving five knights feeling rather shell shocked, but feeling extremely pleased with himself.

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><p>"Well, I suppose we should teach him something to do with like, fighting?" Elyan asked tentatively, the other knights nodded in agreement before they all lapsed back into silence.<p>

They were spread out on the steps in front of the keep, pondering their imminent doom.

"We could always teach him how to – " Everyone looked at Lancelot as he stopped, "I got nothing."

"Well what was the first thing you ever learnt as a knight?" Leon asked looking at the others hopefully.

"That everyone's a lot smaller then me."

"Honour isn't going to win you everything."

"Being a blacksmith doesn't mean you can swing a sword."

"I prefer being a drunk."

Leon's hope left his face and he slumped back against the step, "You lot are hopeless."

"Well what about you, Sir Knight since birth, don't you have any wonderful insights for us?"

"Yeah, you must have trained hundreds of Knights."

Leon sighed, "Yeah I did."

"Well great, you can – " Leon cut off Lancelot quickly.

"No I can't."

"Well why not?"

"Because," Leon heaved himself up straighter so he could see the others looking at him. "I've never trained anyone like Sir Cormac before, all of these knights; they come from big noble families. Trained since birth, deadly with a sword, Cormacs just…"

"Totally and completely hopeless?" Gwaine suggested.

"That's sort of what I was going for yeah."

"How did he beat Arthur?" Lancelot asked, suddenly curious.

"Merlin said he was having a bad day."

"Bet Princess didn't like that."

"I suspect Merlin was having a bad day by the time he was done with all those chores."

Another silence reigned over the group, lasting for several minutes before Percival heaved himself up.

"Where are you going?"

"We might as well go and find the little knight first." He explained before starting off towards the barracks. The other knights exchanged looks, before shrugging and getting up themselves. They hurried after Percival, and fell into step beside him.

"We could always throw him into a bar fight and leave him to fend for himself?" Gwaine suggested. Leon hit him over the head.

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><p>"So you guys are going to… train me?" Cormac was understandably confused. He'd been relaxing quite comfortably in his room, when five large, loud and obnoxious knights had burst through the door. They had then proceeded to drag him outside to the very edge of the woods, where they had told him that the King had ordered him prepared for battle. Thus confusion.<p>

"That's the plan, yup." Gwaine swung his arms happily, rocking on his heels. "So, any idea what you'd like to be trained in" Cormac continued to stare at them, his mouth hanging a little open.

"Might I suggest a little sword play?" Lancelot piped up, suggesting the only sensible thing anyone had said all day.

"Brilliant idea!" Gwaine agreed, "Very knightly." It was agreed that Lancelot should participate in the first practice bout.

"Well it was your idea."

And the others would watch and look for anything that could be improved upon.

During this conversation Cormac still stood, rooted to the same spot, in a state of utter shock. His sword hung loosely, tip to the ground when it was placed in his hand, and it took several explanations before he understood what he was being asked to do.

"Just hit Lancelot."

It was a lot easier said then done. He blocked and parried and stumbled to the side, but the older knight danced around with such ease that it set Cormac's teeth on edge. He lunged forward randomly, hoping to score at least a point against the agile knight, but his foot hit a stone and he tumbled, shame faced, to the ground.

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><p>The other knights watched him scramble back to his feet and face off against Lancelot once again.<p>

"He's not doing to well, is he?" Elyan winced as Lancelot landed a particularly well aimed blow.

"You noticed that to huh?" Gwaine's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I wish Lancelot would go a little easier on him." Leon said, as he watched him land another sharp rap.

"I hate to break it to you, but he is." Percival grunted in agreement and everyone's face turned rather downcast.

"The lad needs to toughen up a little." He said gruffly.

"I don't think beating him with a sword is quite the answer." They contemplated this for a minute, while Cormac tripped once again, this time over his own feet.

"Did you see that?" Elyan sat up rather abruptly, staring off deeper into the forest.

"What?" Asked Gwaine, yawning widely. "If it's another flipping bird –"

"It's not a bird." Elyan cut across, eyes still roaming through the trees, "I saw something move."

The other sat up straighter now.

"There have been reports of bandits in these woods." Leon informed them, looking for any sign of movement in among the dense leaves.

"Yeah, but not this close to the castle, they'd have to be mad." Gwaine got slowly to his feet, careful not to tread on any twigs or sticks littering the ground. Percival let out a single shrill whistle, and the clash and squeal of the sword behind them died away immediately.

In an instant Lancelot was there beside his brothers, his sword sheathed but his eyes alert.

Cormac joined them; almost tripping over Elyan's outstretched leg. Percival grabbed him from behind and set him back on his feet, Leon shushed him quickly. A few quick hand gestures and all the knights began to creep forward, slowly. Cormac, catching onto the idea, began to follow to. The other knights winced every time his foot broke a stick with a sharp crack. Elyan threw out his hand, effectively stopping the others in there tracks. All except Cormac of course, who continued on for several paces before Percival pulled him back.

"There, see through those trees." Elyan pointed between two small oaks, where the others could just make out two figures, making there way through the brush. The sigh of relief that passed through the group was almost palpable. Lancelot laughed quietly.

"Naturally." He said. Cormac looked round at the knights, thunderstruck.

"Shouldn't we do something? Get, get the guards? Or the King?" The knights laughed loudly, all traces of their earlier tension gone, as if it were never there.

"You can if you want, my young friend." Percival smiled down at the lad, nodding towards the trees where the figures were now passing out of sight. "He's right over there."

Cormac looked up, just in time to catch a glimpse of what the knights must have seen, snatches of red and the unmistakable gleam of chain mail.

"What's he doing?" Cormac was once again, very confused. This seemed to be happening an awful lot lately.

"Hunting I expect." Leon said, "He does it to wind Merlin up."

"But why is he on his own?" Cormac really wasn't getting this. "Shouldn't he have an escort with him at least?" This made the knights laugh even louder.

"Ah my dear Cormac," Gwaine chuckled, flinging an arm over Cormac's shoulders, steering him back towards the forest clearing. "You have so much to learn."

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><p>The knights were settled back into position, watching the young knight train. They'd set him a much less challenging opponent, in the form of a tree, and he was currently running drills against it. Gwaine still reckoned the tree was winning.<p>

"You know," Gwaine said casually, "I just thought of something."

"That'd be a first," Lancelot, grinned when Gwaine threw an apple at him.

"Why was Arthur out hunting?"

"What'd you mean?"

"Good point, actually," Said Leon, considering this. "Arthur told us he was going to be meeting with delegation all week." Gwaine sat up.

"He lied to us! He lied to us, that sneaky, manipulative conniving little –"

"King." Lancelot interrupted, "He's the King." Gwaine glowered.

"He is the King." Elyan mused, and the others looked at him.

"And the King has ordered us to train our new recruit." Leon said, cottoning on.

"What kind of subjects would we be if we failed in this task?" Lancelot grinned slyly.

"We must do as the King commands," Percival was smiling, his eyes glinting evilly.

"Ah, so young, so innocent, How ever can we corrupt him?" Asked Gwaine.

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><p>And so it was that a week later, Arthur was faced with a whole new set of problems he never thought he'd encounter. He'd arranged for a private training session with Sir Cormac, under the impression that his finest knights had spent the whole week fully committed to his training. So when Cormac literally skipped into training, armed only with a small dagger, a blunt one at that, and wearing what appeared to be a woman's skirt, Arthur was so shocked, he couldn't even say a word. He broke out of it enough to turn and glare fiercely at Merlin, who was stood at the sidelines, clutching his stomach with silent laughter.<p>

"Cormac…" Arthur didn't even know where to start. "You're ready to train?" He hoped the answer was no.

"Of course Princess." He said it so calmly; you would have thought that was his actual title. Arthur turned red, and he heard Merlin, who was past the point of redemption now, laughing mercilessly. He could see the Knights of the Round Table in the background. They waved at him innocently.

"Cormac," Arthur could feel his teeth grinding together, "I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule this for another time. Please return to you barrack."

"Of course Princess." Cormac bowed low before departing, and Arthur had to control the impulse to beat him over the head.

"Oh come on Princess," Gwaine called across the field. "You didn't even let him show you his pirouette." Arthur made his way back over to Merlin, who was practically in tears. He swore then, that he would never, not ever, let those menaces near another one of his knights. And maybe, that they wouldn't even live to try.


End file.
